You Are My Sunshine
by moriartyswife
Summary: "You aren't better than anyone. Kids like us, we slip under the radar and survive this cruel world in whatever manner we can. If you want to survive this temporary home, I suggest you release me and learn to follow my rules." My first advice to Ruki worked. He and I became friends at the orphanage. But this world is never kind. We had to accept that in order to rise above it.
1. Chapter 1

The police arrived early. New kids weren't usually dropped off until after lunch. The Mrs. Of this house would not be happy about it. She'd only just set the table, slapping a scoop of runny rice on each plate. From my spot on the ledge on the second floor, with my legs squeezed through the banister rails, I watched the officer ring the doorbell, holding tightly onto the arm of the new kid. All the children at the table turned to stare at the door.

Mrs. Sighed loudly, hands on her muffin tops. "Get the door, Mr." She says loudly, sending a mean look to the kids at the table to quiet them.

Mr. gets up from his recliner, setting the newspaper down. Reaching a shaky hand for his cane, he hobbled toward the door. He has a bad knee. Whether that was my fault or not, no one knew. Groaning with each step, he finally reached the door. "Hello officer, is this the boy you called about?" His old man smile was kind of adorable.

Leaning to the side to see around the big oaf, I got the first look at the boy. He was around my age, dark hair, and mean scowl. Someone had recently used him as a punching bag too. Former rich kid. Those clothes he had on, though torn and bloody, were an expensive brand. His cold eyes met mine, turning from anger to surprised. He only looked away at the sound of a plate slamming in the dinning room.

"Don't just stand there, sit," Mrs. Said, pointing to my chair. It had a cushion in it, unlike the other chairs.

The boy reluctantly took the seat at the table, looking back at me periodically to check if I remained in my spot. He didn't touch the soupy mess, claiming it might kill him. He'd angered the Mrs. She slammed his face into the rice, starting to yell at him. The other kids snickered and forced themselves to eat the barely edible food.

Slipping away to my private bedroom, I twirled around in my dress. This kid could be interesting. He isn't like the others. There was no snotty crying. No fighting to come inside. No begging for his mommy and daddy. Anger was a good thing when channeled the right direction. Humming to myself, I cracked open the window to let in fresh air.

"Sweetheart, I brought you some lunch," Mr. called from outside my door. He turned the door knob, hobbling inside the room. "It's a lovely day out, isn't it?" He was kind of dense most days.

Bobbing my head in reply, I skipped over to see what they'd made for me. "Peanut butter and banana?" I asked, sniffing the sandwich that had been cut into two squares. "My favorite." I grinned brightly, sitting on the bed to munch on my fresh food.

Mr. laughed, patting my head. "There's a new boy. Won't you go down and welcome him to the home later?" He asked. They wanted me to be social, but never pushed the issue. They know what might happen if they did. "Poor boy, his mother abandoned him and his father hung himself."

Interesting. "Yeah, I think I will," I answered, turning my gaze out the window. It signaled that I was finished with this conversation. Mr. didn't say another word, instead he left me up in my room. Banana's are my favorite fruit that I've tried… and mixing it with peanut butter was my father's favorite dish to eat. Looks like I'm taking after him.

Later in the evening, the bullies of this orphanage had taken the news of an aristocrat orphan poorly. They gave him a thorough "welcoming". I stayed back in the shadows, watching it all unfold. He laid on the ground, a scowl still on his face. Once they'd disappeared, I walked up, hands clasped behind my back, and bent over to look at him closer. "Looks like you're still alive." He's different. He could be like me.

His icy gray eyes looked up into my bright blue ones, narrowing. "You stood over there and watched."

Shrugging my shoulders, I grinned. "What am I supposed to do against four boys? Besides, Ruki, I don't help weaklings, but you're not unconscious or running to tell on them, so I think you have potential."

Ruki scoffed, slowly moving each of his limbs to make sure they still worked. We were practically the same height "Why would I want to waste my time with a stupid little girl?" He tried to make himself look bigger than me, but the truth was that he was scrawny.

Endearing?

That's what my father used to tell me when I acted that way. My head tilted to the side. "Did you call me stupid?" I asked, plastering a fake smile on my face. _No one would miss this one._ The idea crept inside my mind, whispering little details about the weak points on his body. Not yet… he's too special to take down there. "My name is Mitsuki."

He was bothered by me. Interested, but bothered. His body language said a lot. Tense muscles, narrow eyes, and he kept his distance from me. A normal person would be upset at his hesitation. For me, it only made me want to pull him closer to me. "You already know my name," Ruki said. He still hasn't run away.

Two of the orphanage girl rounded the corner and froze, eyes wide. "S-Sorry Mitsuki! We'll go somewhere else!" They scattered back the way they had come from. That was the typical reaction.

I tapped my finger on my chin. "Want to go see something cool?"

For some reason, he agreed. Probably just looking for an escape route, but night had set in. The forest we'd entered had many dangerous areas and animals. He can't find a way out in this weather. The wind blew quickly around us. The sky that normally was littered with stars had been covered by dark storm clouds. I licked my lips. Perfect weather. Anticipation bubbled up inside me. Would he be afraid? That would be an exquisite expression to see on his features. It sent a shiver through my body.

"Why are we at this old place?" Ruki asked, a disgusted look on his face. Coming from a privileged family, he's probably never visited a place like this one. It had broken glass windows, rain damage, and a tree top that had been struck by lightning had crashed right through the roof, resting on the second floor.

I spun around, walking backwards toward the familiar house. "It's creepy, right? I love old houses. They still hold their charm even when dilapidated like this one. I visit here a lot." Skipping up the stairs, the excitement of returning to this house grew in my chest. Twisting the rusted door knob, it took two good pushed to get the door unstuck. A rat ran by my feet. "Whoops. Almost stepped on you this time."

"Won't the orphanage owners get angry that we're out past curfew?" He asked that question, but his tone told me that he didn't really care. The more I was around him, the more connected to him that I felt. This boy is special. And my father used to say that when something special comes into your life, you don't ever let it slip away.

"Nope."

Annoyed with my short, vague answer, he rolled his eyes. "Right."

The door that used to hide the stairs to the basement had been removed a while ago. The linoleum tile had more holes than the last time I visited, but the pattern hadn't faded any more. "Watch those steps," I said, jumping down past the last two. They were pretty rickety. Any amount of weight in the middle would probably put a hole in it.

The basement was my favorite room. Only half of it was finished. "They never got around to pouring concrete on the second half of the room. Rumor is, the woman who used to live here with her husband, killed him and buried him in that half." I pointed to the cement. "She confessed everything after only a few seconds of interrogation. What an idiot! She could have come up with a million excuses and gotten away with it." It couldn't be helped… I started to laugh.

"Why the hell are you laughing?" Ruki asked. His eyes scanned the basement, the fear showing through his façade of bravery.

Wiping away the tears from my uncontrollable laughter, I replied, "What do you mean?"

Ruki grabbed the material of my dress above my chest and once again tried to make himself bigger than me. "You sound like a psychopath! That's not a situation you should be laughing at! That woman was a murderer."

"So?"

My question made him quiet. "S-so…" Ruki couldn't reply to that.

My smile disappeared, and my head fell to the side. "Ruki, you aren't better than her. You aren't better than anyone. Kids like us, we slip under the radar and survive this cruel world in whatever manner we can. If you want to survive this temporary home, I suggest you release me and learn to follow my rules."

Thankfully, he let me go, only leaving a wrinkle or two in my dress. "Mitsuki. Who are you?" His actions must have surprised him.

"A friend," I answered. Turning to walk to the unfinished side, I approached the headstone that had been placed at the base of the wall. "She was a woman who committed murder, not a murderer. A true murderer wouldn't have been caught or wouldn't have confessed so easily. There's a lot to be learned from those who take the lives of others and never get caught."

Ruki was silent, but he hadn't left yet. His breathing faltered after his footsteps stopped right behind where I'd crouched down. It felt like an eternity before he actually said something. Maybe it was his shock at what he was looking at. As I picked up the dead roses to add to my collection, Ruki bent forward to get a better look, his face right beside mine. His eyes met mine, wide in fear.

"Is that a grave?"

~~~~~~~~A/N~~~~~~~

I have an announcement! I have opened a p.a.t.r.e.o.n account for my fanfiction! So please go check it out and if you are so inclined, pledge and get some extra content!

For December, there will be a Christmas Special for: The Little Vampire, Journey of a Lifetime, and four others (You all get to vote for three of them!) from the month 1 update list! These are exclusive to p.a.t.r.e.o.n. until next December!

bekahjoy is the creator name!

This idea behind this decision comes from my want to create these fanfictions for my readers. This is _**not**_ _,_ by any means, a place where I will demand to be supported financially or I won't ever update again. This is more of a boost for me to get some stress down from the financial side of my life. I currently work 40 hours a week with 9 two-year old's, and let me tell you, it's draining, and the pay isn't that great. Opening this account was a hard decision for me, because I didn't want it to come across the wrong way.

The way I plan for this to work, is there are varying levels of what each donation per month will give you, but the summary of all those is this:

*Supporters will get first access to the chapter, that will be updated on my regular platform the following month, as soon as it is completed. The more that is donated the more perks you will receive from me! For example: Special Episodes, or one-shots created from your own ideas and wants!


	2. Chapter 2

My silence only made him more anxious. His eyes were glued to the headstone for a while before turning to me again, horror written on his face, as he waited for any explanation from me. Would he run if I didn't answer? I reached out to brush my fingertips over the dirt on top. If I dug it up, would the corpse be half eaten by maggots? That would be something interesting to see.

"Mitsuki, I—" Ruki started but couldn't come up with any words.

Turning my head quick, I placed a soft kiss on his lips. "It's just a dog's grave, silly. A stray wandered into the orphanage and recently died," I said, smiling at him. He would believe me. They always do.

It showed in his eyes, the relief. It didn't matter if it was the truth. Ruki wanted to believe it, because any other truth was too horrible to think about. He let out a sigh, holding his hand over his heart. "Oh." His cheeks flushed red. "W-why did you kiss me?"

"Because it calmed you down," I replied, making him uncomfortable in a different way. Standing up, I said, "Hey, Ruki?" Holding out my hand to him, my lips pulled up in a big smile. I've made my decision! "Do you want to be my friend?" I hope he understands what an honor it is to be called a friend by me. No one else at home had that privilege.

Ruki had confusion written on his face, like the question itself was dangerous. He's likely thinking about the consequences of saying no and the benefits of saying yes. Would I be upset if he said no? Slowly, he stretched out his hand and took mine. "I don't know why, but I do." His free hand brushed his fingertips over his lips, the kiss still fresh on his mind.

My shoulders relaxed. He said yes! That made me all excited inside and a small squeal escaped my lips. "Good! I'm very glad!" I held onto his hand and pulled him after me. Climbing back up the stairs, a large boom shook the house. The storm is here! Large raindrops began to fall. "Don't let go. I'll get us back to the house safely."

Any moonlight that had lit our path out here had disappeared, leaving us in the pitch dark. Only lightening strikes made seconds of light. Ruki held onto my hand tight. We both ran, the rain picking up. It soaked through my dress, making it stick to my body. The both of us were completely drenched by the time we reached the front porch of the home.

The door swung open, and the Mrs. Frowned at Ruki. Her chastising only made it three words. "Where have you—" Her anger subsided into fake happiness. "Oh, Mitsuki, dear. The two of you went out together?" She asked, her eyes falling down to our clasped hands.

I nodded, pulling him closer to me. "We got a bit wet," I said, smiling big at her. That was an understatement. My body shivered from how cold the soaked clothes were.

The Mrs. Pulled the door open. "I'll draw a bath for you two, then. It'll warm you right up," she replied with an equally sweet tone. She led us up to the big upstairs bathroom. It had the only two tubs for us kids. One side was the boys, and the other was the girls. The only thing that separated the room was two large dividers, though many holes had been poked into the paper, letting most of the privacy be obsolete. She left with our clothes after the two of us had settled in the warm bath.

I sighed happily. "This is feels _so_ good, don't you think?" I asked, bending forward to look through the big hole at eye level. It wouldn't be wrong to leave out that most of the kids take cold baths? It's too expensive and time consuming to use warm water. Mine is always nice and hot, and it would stay that way.

Ruki closed his eyes, also enjoying the warmth. "It is, though I'm unsure of how the old lady didn't beat us senseless when we came back in our condition. How do you get away with everything?" He asked, cracking one eye open to look at me.

I held my finger to my lips and winked. "It's a secret. Stick with me and you'll get all kinds of benefits." The Mr. and Mrs. Of the house give me whatever I want, whenever I want. This house belongs to me.

The door flung open, and the two boys stopped, eyes wide. One fled quickly, and the other bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, Mitsuki! Please don't tell them we barged in on you!" He turned on his heel, swinging the door closed behind him as he left.

"I thought it was the just the girls," Ruki started, and he shook his head. "But it seems like everyone is afraid of you here."

Oh, he has no idea. "Are you afraid of me?" I asked, feigning being hurt by that thought. Of course, they're scared of the power I hold over the adults, but they are also jealous that they don't get treated the way I do. If they knew the truth about me, it would terrify them even more, but I hoped that in time, Ruki would learn my truths and not be afraid.

Ruki opened both eyes, surprised by the question, and then he laughed. It made me narrow my eyes in confusion. Why is he laughing? "No, I don't think I am. You're strange, but I'm not afraid," He replied, smiling genuinely for the first time since he arrived.

 _He should be afraid._

Oh, hush.

"But, Mitsuki, can I ask again why you get away with everything? Friends should tell each other things like that," Ruki said. This time he sounded more excited about the answer. He wanted to know because we're friends? That's an odd concept.

But, I nodded my head. "Okay, I'll tell you." Sitting so that I was comfortable and facing him, I smiled. "The Mr. and Mrs. Of the house are my relatives. Second cousins from my parents or something. Still, my parents are dead, so I'm an orphan, but they treat me like family instead of one.

"How did you parents die?" He asked, stopping abruptly. "You don't have to-"

I giggled and waved my arm dismissively. "Don't worry. I don't mind telling you. My folks committed suicide together." The Mr. had told me about Ruki before he'd arrived. I knew his story involved suicide but only one of the parents did it. "It's truly tragic. They knew we were going to lose everything, our house, our livestock, all of it. They decided to not lose each other. It's kind of romantic if you think about it."

His reaction was to drop his mouth open in surprise. "Romantic? They left you behind."

Is he worried about me? That's adorable. "I know, but they couldn't ask a child to take their own life. So, they sent me here to live with my distant family. I don't blame them. They were weak and the weak don't survive in this world." Father used to tell me that preying on the weak was human nature, because things that are not strong need to be eradicated from the world. That's our job, he'd say.

"Weak? I agree. My father was weak. He took his own life after my mother abandoned us and he lost all his fortune."

He's opening up to me! "See! We're alike! I knew there was a connection between us!" I smiled, watching him yawn. The water had grown cold around me. "Let's go to my room," I said, grabbing a towel to wrap myself up in. Ruki did the same, following me to the bedroom that had been reserved for me. Clothes had been laid on the bed, dry and ready to put on.

There were two beds in this room, but only one got used by me. I sat with him in the other one, kicking my feet back and forth. He looks exhausted. "You aren't tired?" He asked, another long yawn escaping his lips.

"Don't worry about me," I replied, brushing my hand through his damp hair. "I can sing to you, if you want?" He nodded sleepily, barely able to keep his eyes open. My father used to sing one song to me a lot, so I knew the melody by heart. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey. You'll never know dear; how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." By the time I'd finished the chorus, Ruki's breathing had become even, signaling him to be asleep.

My body didn't require a lot of sleep. Since I was a little, my father said I hated to sleep, because I hated to miss a single moment. My stomach growled. That's right, I'd skipped dinner because it looked disgusting. A little late-night snack would be delicious right now. Skipping down to the kitchen, I jerked the cabinet door open.

"No! Please! I said I was sorry!" Marco, one of the older boys, yelled. He tried to escape a lot. As such, the Mrs. Had no choice but to take him down to the basement. There were cells down there for bad children, obviously I'd never been locked down there more than once. Marco planted his feet in the ground, struggling. He's so skinny that the Mrs. Had no trouble pulling along.

Peering into the dark, half-empty cabinet, I sighed. There's no good food here. They need to go out to the market! Settling on a shiny apple on the counter, I sat at the table. My chair had a comfy cushion. That reminded me, I should get one for Ruki. His chair has to be beside mine. My head turned at the sound of the front door opening. Looks like Reina is back!

Reina has a solemn expression, like the others who had to be taken out at night. Her face had bruises and even a slice down her cheek. She's a beautiful girl. Long silky blonde hair and piercing green eyes. Her body was tall, and slender, like a life-size doll. That's why those men like her so much. She's the one who gets to go out the most.

Surviving in this orphanage wasn't easy. Some kids didn't even make it out of here alive, or if they did, they were sold off to rich adults. It's too bad none of them are interesting. Ruki is the first friend of mine. I would protect him as long as he stayed that way. He made me feel strange and excited. It's been some time since I felt this way. Since my father disappeared. He could always make me smile and laugh. My control over this orphanage had all been because of my father's teachings. He would always say that weak humans are easy to control. And isn't that the truth!


End file.
